Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Toronto Lawyers And Family Mourned After Cottage Fire Kills Four

The Canadian Press, 28 Dec, 2016 01:47 AM
  • Toronto Lawyers And Family Mourned After Cottage Fire Kills Four
DOURO-DUMMER, Ont. — A Toronto law firm is remembering one of its partners as a "vibrant and wonderful person" after news that a family of four died in a fire near Peterborough, Ont.
 
Police said the fire broke out early Christmas Eve in a large cottage on Stoney Lake.
 
Const. Jason Folz of the Peterborough OPP said four bodies were pulled from the building, along with the bodies of two pets.
 
He called the incident a Christmas tragedy.
 
While police have yet to confirm the the victims' identities, friends and family took to social media to mourn Geoff Taber, his wife Jacquie Gardner — also a lawyer — and their two sons.
 
 
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, the firm where Taber was a partner, released a statement Monday confirming the family's death and expressing condolences.
 
Managing partner Dale Ponder wrote in the statement that the couple were "first and foremost" loving parents to their two sons.
 
"There are no words adequate enough to express the depth of sorrow we feel about the tragic death of Geoff and his beloved wife Jacquie and sons Scott and Andrew," she wrote.
 
She added that Gardner had also worked at Osler before moving on to Altamira Investment Services.
 
"Geoff and Jacquie were first and foremost loving parents to their two remarkable sons," she said in the statement. "We will miss them terribly."
 
Folz said the entirety of the cottage was destroyed in the blaze, and all of the upper levels collapsed into the basement.
 
The Office of the Fire Marshal is continuing its investigation into the cause of the fire, but Folz said it may be slow-going because of forecasted freezing rain.

MORE National ARTICLES

No Arrests After Suspected Targeted Shooting In Vancouver Injures Woman

No Arrests After Suspected Targeted Shooting In Vancouver Injures Woman
VANCOUVER — An apparently targeted shooting has seriously injured a 42-year-old woman in Vancouver.

No Arrests After Suspected Targeted Shooting In Vancouver Injures Woman

Christy Clark Dons Hard Hat In Quest For 5th Liberal Mandate, Hammers Out Jobs Platform

Christy Clark Dons Hard Hat In Quest For 5th Liberal Mandate, Hammers Out Jobs Platform
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark never seems to miss the chance to put on a hard hat and pose with workers for what has become the trademark photo opportunity of her government.

Christy Clark Dons Hard Hat In Quest For 5th Liberal Mandate, Hammers Out Jobs Platform

Shocked Ottawa Muslim Community Grieving After Sisters Stabbed To Death By Brother

Shocked Ottawa Muslim Community Grieving After Sisters Stabbed To Death By Brother
Police allege that 32-year-old Asma A-Noor and her 29-year-old sister Nasiba were both stabbed to death in an Ottawa home on Friday night.

Shocked Ottawa Muslim Community Grieving After Sisters Stabbed To Death By Brother

PM Trudeau Says He'll Defend Canadian Interests, Values, If Trump Goes Too Far

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he would not hesitate to protect the interests — and the values — of Canadians if they clash with the agenda of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

PM Trudeau Says He'll Defend Canadian Interests, Values, If Trump Goes Too Far

Trudeau Promises Two Emergency Towing Vessels For West Coast

VANCOUVER — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the second of two emergency towing vessels that have been promised as part of a federal plan to protect Canada's oceans will operate on the West Coast.

Trudeau Promises Two Emergency Towing Vessels For West Coast

Stepfather Identifies Boys Found Dead In Home, Says They Were Killed 'By Coward'

Stepfather Identifies Boys Found Dead In Home, Says They Were Killed 'By Coward'
SPRUCE GROVE, Alta. — An anguished stepfather has identified two young victims in an apparent murder-suicide at a home in Spruce Grove, Alta., calling them "beautiful young lives, snuffed out by a coward."

Stepfather Identifies Boys Found Dead In Home, Says They Were Killed 'By Coward'